PRIMED FOR THE PGA

As the last of the four majors, the PGA usually receives theleast attention, but last week's reemergence of Phil Mickelsonis one more reason that this year the old rules won't apply. Avictory at Winged Foot by the 27-year-old Mickelson would notonly mean that for the first time in history the four majortitles were held by players under 30 but also establish afearsome foursome that could dominate the game for years to come.

What would make this PGA even more special, though, would be awin by Masters champion Tiger Woods. No golfer has ever won twomajors in his first full season as a professional. (Gene Sarazenwas 20 when he won the U.S. Open and the PGA in 1922, but thatwas his second full year on Tour.) Woods would particularly likea win at Winged Foot because that's the course where hisinstructor, Butch Harmon, grew up as the son of the head pro,Claude Harmon. Already Butch has given Tiger a couple of guidedtours of the place.

A victory by U.S. Open winner Ernie Els or British Open champJustin Leonard would also be distinctive. Winning two or moreprofessional majors in a season has been accomplished only 24times in this century and by just 14 players. Jack Nicklaus didit five times, Ben Hogan three times, while Sarazen, BobbyJones, Arnold Palmer and Tom Watson each did it twice.Regardless of what has already happened in 1997 and what mightoccur between now and the Tour Championship, which concludes theseason, if Els, Leonard or Woods wins the PGA, he will be namedthe player of the year. That makes this PGA a showdown.

The play within the play, of course, will be the race for RyderCup points. The PGA is the final event in which they areawarded, and because majors carry double points, the outcome ofthe PGA could influence the makeup of the U.S. team. A player aslow as 23rd on the points list, for example, could jump into thetop 10 and qualify for an automatic berth with a win at WingedFoot. Because Tom Kite must announce his two captain'sselections the day after the PGA, the wild-card contenders alsoneed to make a good impression.

That the PGA is at Winged Foot is sure to enhance thechampionship. The event has had success in secondary markets andon modern courses, but few sites can match the allure ofManhattan, only 40 minutes away, and the history of Winged Foot.It's the course on which Bobby Jones won the third of his fourU.S. Open titles. Winged Foot was where, at the '74 Open, theUSGA exacted revenge for Johnny Miller's closing 63 the yearbefore at Oakmont by creating the most severe setup in thechampionship's history. The result was the so-called Massacre atWinged Foot--Hale Irwin won with a seven-over-par 287. Duringthat Open, the championship committee chairman, Sandy Tatum, wasasked if the USGA was trying to embarrass the best golfers inthe world. His classic response: "No, we are trying to identifythem."

Winged Foot is the best course on which a PGA has been playedsince the event was held at Pebble Beach in 1977. The74-year-old club in Mamaroneck, N.Y., represents the finest workof designer A.W. Tillinghast, and the proof is in how little thecourse has been changed. It is long and narrow, with smallgreens protected by steep-walled bunkers. The artful contours ofthe putting surfaces will test every aspect of the short game,yet accuracy and imagination with long approach shots willprobably tell the tale.

Winged Foot has seven par-4s of more than 440 yards, and somethink it favors long hitters. Two such players, Fuzzy Zoellerand Greg Norman, tied for first after regulation at the '84Open. (Zoeller won the 18-hole playoff.) That bodes well forEls, Mickelson and Woods. On the other hand, the long-iron playof the short-hitting Irwin was the key to his win in '74. Healso held the 54-hole lead in '84. Leonard's style is more likeIrwin's.

Whatever happens, this year it will be said of the PGA that itwas last, but not least.